SMITHLEY 25th ON THE ROVAL

CONCORD, N.C. – Garrett Smithley finished 25th Saturday in the Drive for the Cure 200, the first race for the new Charlotte Motor Speedway roval course. 

The 2.28-mile track used portions of the CMS oval and the infield road course. Xfinity drivers were the first to test it in race competition. 

Smithley’s 25th-place run on the lead lap puts him 20th in Xfinity points in the No. 0 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet. 

“It was a wild day,” Smithley said. “Everybody was kind of jumping out into the unknown. The course was tight and fast, and it would have been easy to crash. I’m happy to bring the car home in one piece.” 

Chase Briscoe won the race, and Christopher Bell kept the point lead. 

The series rolls on to Dover, Del. for an Oct. 6 race.

ASCHENBACH SCORES 21st AT CHARLOTTE

CONCORD, N.C. – Lawson Aschenbach finished 21st Saturday in the Drive for the Cure 200 in his first appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in three years. 

Aschenbach, a sports car veteran, returned to JD Motorsports with Gary Keller to drive the No. 01 Chevrolet in the first race on the roval, a combination of the CMS oval and road course. He finished on the lead lap with a strong run. 

Aschenbach drove one race for JD Motorsports in 2015. 

Chase Briscoe won the race, and Christopher Bell kept the point lead. 

The series rolls on to Dover, Del. for an Oct. 6 race.

HEROES HAVEN CONTINUES RACING RIDE WITH JD MOTORSPORTS

GAFFNEY, S.C. – One of the longest – and strongest – partnerships in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series will be extended for another race this weekend as JD Motorsports with Gary Keller and Heroes Haven join hands at Dover International Speedway. 

Heroes Haven will sponsor driver Garrett Smithley’s No. 0 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Bar Harbor 200 Xfinity race at Dover. Heroes Haven and JD Motorsports have a history dating back four years. 

Heroes Haven celebrates the heroes of the armed services and first responders who have endured injuries and other difficulties relating to their service. Heroes are invited on hunting and fishing expeditions and to other special events. For four years, selected heroes have served as honorary crewmen for the JD Motorsports team at Dover. They receive special passes and a crew uniform and are involved with the team during the afternoon race. 

“We’re always thrilled to work with the folks at Heroes Haven,” said team owner Johnny Davis. “They do such great work. It’s our honor to welcome the heroes they send along to us. They get to enjoy the race weekend, but it’s really the team and our guys that benefit from this great association.” 

Soldier Philip Lee Cooper will be this weekend’s special guest at Dover. 

The Heroes Haven logo will ride on the rear quarter-panels of Smithley’s bright red car in the Xfinity playoff race. 

“We couldn’t be prouder than to be with the team again at Dover,” said Ken Adams of sponsor Melvin Joseph Construction. “Johnny and his guys always do a great job hosting our heroes and making the weekend enjoyable for everybody. It’s one of the highlights of our year. We’re so happy to be able to make it a special weekend for Philip Cooper.”

CHASTAIN ROLLS ALONG IN PLAYOFFS

CONCORD, N.C. – Ross Chastain takes on a totally new challenge this weekend as he shoots for a spot in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs. 

Chastain will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200, which will be the first race on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s new “roval,” which combines the CMS oval with portions of the infield road course.  

“The road course at Charlotte is a new challenge for the entire sport, and no matter how it ends up for our No. 4 car I’ll enjoy the challenge of it,” Chastain said. “It definitely took some brave men and women at NASCAR to put this idea into motion. Our goal is the obvious goal everyone has -- to finish. Rolling the car back in the hauler at the end of the day will be a huge success.” 

Chastain sits fourth in the playoff standings and has an 18-point edge over ninth-place Cole Custer, who sits in the first spot outside the Round of 8 cutoff. Chastain finished second to Christopher Bell last week at Richmond Raceway.

Chastain has led a career-high 272 laps this year and has completed 97.7 percent of the scheduled laps. He can clinch a spot in the Round of 8 on points this weekend with some help, and also could with a win.     

Practice, which will be particularly important this week, is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.

SMITHLEY RIDES ON A NEW ROAD

CONCORD, N.C. – Garrett Smithley knows Saturday’s first race on the new road course-oval combination at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be a big challenge. 

But, as Smithley points out, it will be the same challenge for everyone in the Drive for the Cure 200 field. 

“Nobody really knows what’s going to happen,” Smithley said. “That’s what’s crazy about this weekend. The track is brand new. There are no secrets. No one knows much about the right setup. It’s going to be a big test.” 

The track has 17 turns and is 2.28 miles in length. The race is 55 laps, or 125 miles. Because of the combination of high speeds on the oval portion of the track and tight passing conditions around the infield road course, some level of mayhem is expected. 

Smithley will drive the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. 

Practice, which will be particularly important this week, is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.   

LEGGE ON THE ROAD AGAIN

CONCORD, N.C. – Katherine Legge will return to familiar – but strange – territory this weekend. 

Legge is a veteran of sports car racing on road courses, and that’s where she’ll compete in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 Xfinity Series race. But the course – the track’s new “roval” combining parts of the CMS oval and the infield course – will be all new to Legge. And to everyone else in the field. Legge will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 15 Chevrolet Saturday. 

“Everybody is going to be playing a guessing game to a certain extent,” said team owner Johnny Davis. “Although some teams have had some test laps on the track, the race itself will be a whole new deal. We’ll give Katherine the best car we can prepare and shoot for a great finish.” 

The race will be Legge’s fourth for JD Motorsports this season. She finished 30th at Mid-Ohio, 14th at Road America and 28th last week at Richmond Raceway in her NASCAR oval debut. 

Practice is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m. 

ASCHENBACH RETURNS TO JD MOTORSPORTS

CONCORD, N.C. – Maryland driver Lawson Aschenbach will return to the cockpit of a JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet this week. 

Aschenbach will drive the No. 01 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 at the new “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2.28-mile track is made up of portions of the CMS oval and infield road course and will be raced for the first time in Saturday’s Xfinity event. 

Aschenbach, 34, has driven one race for JD Motorsports. He finished 23rd at Road America in 2015. 

Aschenbach has been racing professionally for a dozen years and has four Pirelli World Challenge championships. 

Practice for Saturday’s race is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.

HOUFF 31st IN GO BOWLING 250

RICHMOND, Va. – Quin Houff finished 31st in Friday night’s Go Bowling 250 Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway. 

Running in his home state, Houff, from Weyers Cave, Va., started 24th. The race was the sixth of his Xfinity career. 

Houff drove the BeatinCancerWithDuke.org No. 4 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. 

Christopher Bell won the race and also leads the point standings. Friday night’s race was the first in the playoffs. 

The series moves on to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a Sept. 29 race.

LEGGE FINISHES 28TH IN OVAL DEBUT

RICHMOND, Va. – Katherine Legge was introduced to a totally new style of racing Friday night at Richmond Raceway. 

Competing in a NASCAR oval race for the first time, Legge finished 28th in the Go Bowling 250 Xfinity Series event at Richmond Raceway. 

She started 32nd in the BUBBA Burger No. 15 Chevrolet entered by JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. 

Legge, a veteran sports car racer and winner in IMSA competition, had driven two Xfinity road-course races for the JD Motorsports team, but Friday’s race was her first on a tight oval course. 

Christopher Bell won the race and has the playoff point lead. 

The series moves on to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a Sept. 29 race.

MILLER HAS ENGINE PROBLEMS AT RICHMOND

RICHMOND, Va. – Vinnie Miller finished 37th in Friday night’s Go Bowling 250 Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway after engine issues plagued his No. 01 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet. 

Miller parked on lap 91, ending his evening early. 

“I hate how the night ended for this JAS Expedited Trucking team,” Miller said. “We had such a good run going when the engine expired. I can’t thank the guys on the No. 01 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team enough for all their support this season.” 

The race, the first of the Xfinity playoffs, was won by Christopher Bell, also the point leader. 

The series moves on to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a Sept. 29 race on the track’s road course-oval combo.